Archives for May 2010

About two months ago we heard that Orange and T-Mobile in the UK were to join forces and merge together. Since then there has been no information until today where we now hear that both Orange and T-Mobile will be joined together and run from the name Everything Everywhere.

A bizarre name if you ask me, but the name was chosen to indicate that two networks working together will offer just that.

The company called Everything Everywhere¢ will run two of Britain’s most famous brands, Orange and T-Mobile, and has a customer base of 30 million people: over half of the UK adult population.

The two brands (Orange and T-Mo) will continue to operate independently in that you will still see Orange and T-Mobile shops on the high street, but behind the scenes they will be called Everything Everywhere. [Read more…]

We are hearing rumours today indicating that Apple [AAPL] could be making the MobileMe service free for all users.

Normally the service costs $99/year on a subscription basis and provides a number of features such as cloud based email, storage, photo galleries as well as the ability to sync contacts, calendars and bookmarks across a range of computers and phones. Another feature is Find My iPhone that allows users to track down their iPhone if lost, or remotely kill it if stolen.

The downside right now is obviously the cost with what seems to be a number of people just ignoring the service.

The rumours are saying that MobileMe will soon become free of charge to all users and that Apple are just waiting for their new server farm to become active in North Caroline which I assume is to handle the influx of iPhone and iPad users wanting to utilise the service. [Read more…]

Ever since the launch of the Apple iPhone back in 2007 a number of people have speculated on what the length of contract was for AT&T to retain exclusivity of the iPhone in the US. We have heard several times in the past that “exclusivity is ending this month” and it never does.

Engadget did some digging around and have found confirmation that a five year deal was signed between Apple [AAPL] and AT&T [T] starting in 2007 when the iPhone came out and ending in 2012.

The reasons this information is now confirmed is due to some court documents that were filed by Apple in California.

Here’s the deal: an ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone’s required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years — thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone. Obviously Apple had to respond to these allegations, and in addition to arguing that no one was ever promised an unlocked iPhone after two years, the company’s lawyers repeatedly confirm the existence of the five-year agreement while noting it was publicly reported in USA Today.

[Read more…]

The Motorola Flipout is a new smartphone that runs the Android 2.1 operating system. The phone it’s self is a square that flips open to reveal a QWERTY keyboard underneath. On the front of the Flipout is a 2.8 inch screen. The Android 2.1 operating system appears to be running MotoBLUR allowing for easy access to social networking features from the home screen.

Other features of the Motorola Flipout include GPS, a 3.1 megapixel camera although there is no mention of wifi for connectivity at the moment.

Either way, it’s a unique looking phone that will appeal to some people. When launched, it will come in three different colours. [Read more…]

Ryan Stewart of Adobe has given a demo of flash running on the Nexus One. The Nexus One is running the latest version of Google [GOOG] Android which is version 2.2.

The video demonstration below shows how smooth flash runs in the browser by showing a demonstration of a site running 3D interactive objects along with flash charts found in Google Finance. Each runs flawlessly.

Also in the video demonstration towards the end the new desktop of Android 2.2 can be seen with a few new features not seen before. These new features include a new global search box, new launcher and a built in tutorial system. [Read more…]

Data collected by the NPD Group indicate that smartphones running the Android OS are now outselling the Apple iPhone for the first time.

This switch over in sales puts Android as the second most selling OS behind RIM devices.

In the first quarter of 2010, Android from Google [GOOG] took about 28% of all handsets followed by Apple at 21% and just behind RIM at 36%. [Read more…]